Near Mechanicsville in Hanover County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Ultimate Sacriﬁce

By Bernard Fisher, March 9, 2009

1. The Ultimate Sacrifice Marker

Inscription.

The Ultimate Sacrifice. . The losses sustained by both armies during the Wilderness to Cold Harbor campaign made the world shudder. Casualties by some estimates averaged 2,000 per day, and at Cold Harbor nearly 18,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. . . While Confederate dead were removed and taken to Richmond, Union dead were hastily buried in shallow trenches near where they fell. In 1866 burial parties scoured the battlefields, collecting the remains and reburying them just east of here. Today 2,000 Union soldiers lie buried at the Cold Harbor National Cemetery.

The losses sustained by both armies during the Wilderness to Cold Harbor campaign made the world shudder. Casualties by some estimates averaged 2,000 per day, and at Cold Harbor nearly 18,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured.

While Confederate dead were removed and taken to Richmond, Union dead were hastily buried in shallow trenches near where they fell. In 1866 burial parties scoured the battlefields, collecting the remains and reburying them just east of here. Today 2,000 Union soldiers lie buried at the Cold Harbor National Cemetery.

Erected by National Park Service.

Location. 37° 35.217′ N, 77° 17.283′ W. Marker is near Mechanicsville, Virginia, in Hanover County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Anderson-Wright Drive and Cold Harbor Road (Virginia Route 156). Touch for map. This marker is located along the walking trail in the Cold Harbor Battlefield Unit of the Richmond National Battlefield Park. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5515 Anderson-Wright Drive, Mechanicsville VA 23111, United States of America.

3. Cold Harbor Battlefield Virtual Tour by Markers. This is one of the many markers along the walking trail, extended loop trail, and auto tour route in the Cold Harbor Battlefield Unit of the Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Submitted on March 9, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia.)

By Bernard Fisher, March 9, 2009

3. Cold Harbor Vistor Center Plaque

"I have always regretted that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made" Ulysses S. Grant

The Battle of Cold Harbor - June 3, 1864. An overwhelming Confederate victory; a disastrous and useless Union defeat. “The time of actual advance was not over eight minutes. In that little period, more men fell bleeding as they advanced than in any other like period of time throughout the war.” Major General Martin T. McMahon, U.S.V.

By Bernard Fisher, March 9, 2009

5. Cold Harbor Battlefield

Credits. This page was last revised on September 27, 2018. This page originally submitted on March 9, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,064 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 9, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia.

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